Kim Swift leaves Valve for Dark Void dev

US independent developer Airtight Games has scored a major personnel coup by hiring famed young designer Kim Swift.

Best known for her work on Valve's Portal as team lead, Swift will join Airtight as project lead for a new, unnamed project.

According to Airtight, she will "build and lead a team in the development of games aimed at a more diverse audience".

“We are thrilled to work with Kim,” Jim Deal, President, Airtight Games, said. “Her addition to the team represents a strategic move by Airtight Games into new and broader gaming markets.”

Swift was hired by Valve straight out of college to turn her fellow students' early prototype into Portal. She has since contributed to the likes of Left 4 Dead.

"I've learned so much and had some amazing experiences at Valve," Kim said. "But when I heard I had the opportunity to work on innovative titles with my friends over at Airtight, I couldn't pass it up."